HOLYOKE- New England Public Radio recently honored this year's Arts & Humanities Award recipients at the station's ninth annual awards ceremony at The Log Cabin.

Among those honored this year were The Literacy Project; poet and founder of Springfield's Teatro V!da, Magdalena Gomez and music director of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, Carolyn Kuan. The event also honored David Tebaldi, executive director of Mass Humanities with the first ever "Lifetime Achievement" Arts & Humanities Award. Tebaldi will retire in October after 33 years at the helm of Mass Humanities.

Each year, New England Public Radio invites the community to nominate their choice for the award. This year, the station received over 150 nominations from listeners and community members from Pittsfield to Hartford and beyond, according to a press release.

It's always a thrill to pore over the nominations that come in," said Dr. Stephen Wittenberg, chair of the NEPR Foundation's Community Engagement Committee, which selects the winners each year. "We are thrilled to honor these four awardees, and to celebrate all who make this region richer with their work."

Now in its tenth year, the award recognizes those who have made a positive impact on the arts and humanities and brings awareness to the critical role played by musicians, artists, dancers, writers, teachers and cultural institutions in western New England.